Brendan Rodgers: Liverpool manager celebrates win at Newcastle in April

The Reds head to Newcastle on Saturday in second place in the table - only behind leaders Arsenal on goal difference - after a strong start which has seen them win five of their first seven games.

Rodgers now has virtually a full-strength squad at his disposal following the return of Glen Johnson, Aly Cissokho and Joe Allen, leaving playmaker Philippe Coutinho as the only absentee, and he is looking forward to the weeks ahead.

"We'll arrive with our strongest squad of the season against Newcastle," said Rodgers.

"We'll get better as we grow together more. I go on about performance because I don't just like to get three points; I worry about playing well and playing in a certain way. That's always how I've been.

"But I can't take anything away from how we've been so far. In terms of results, we've been absolutely brilliant and this is the most competitive league in the world.

"But it shows you how much growth there is still left in the team, that we can win games 3-1 (last time out at home to Crystal Palace) and I can come away a little bit dissatisfied because of the performance.

"What I can't argue with is the work of the players, the honesty of the players, how humble they are and how willing they are to come in to train every day to be better.

"I've got a great group here that I think will get better - that's something that we aim to do, always improve.

"If we can do that and continue to win games, then of course I'll be happy."

Liverpool won 6-0 at St James' Park in April but Rodgers is not expecting a repeat against a Newcastle side buoyed by a 2-1 win at Cardiff last time.

"In our game last year, we were exceptional up there in our performance level," said Rodgers.

"With all due respect it probably has no bearing on the game at the weekend.

"It's going to be a tough game, but we're full of confidence and there's real belief in the team.

"There will be even greater motivation from our perspective, because we know that Newcastle are coming off the back of a really good result at Cardiff.

"It hasn't been so easy for them at home. It's a difficult place - you've got some 50,000 really passionate supporters who demand that you play attacking football."

Most Commented

Readers' Comments

I

t's wrong to be making a joke out of Bender's name at the expense of gay people. It's the kind of childish, uncivilised thing that Football365 would deride and ridicule if it was another media outlet saying. Why is there a need for jokes like this? Does it make your writers feel like men? F365 might suggest that I 'lighten up', but it is genuinely traumatic for people who have been oppressed all their lives to be the butt of jokes, and to be told...

ou can't blame De Gea for wanting to leave, he has enough to do in front of goal as it is as well as taking on the role of Man Utd's version of Derek Acorah in trying to contact and organise a defence that isn't there.